THOMAS E. 'TOM' BENNETT SR.

Funeral services will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Tyndall Funeral Home with the Rev. Sherman Dilley officiating. Visitation will immediately follow the service at the funeral home, and at other times, at the residence.

Committal and interment will be at 2 p.m. on Thursday at Wayne Memorial Park with full military honors.

Born in Tioga County, Pa., he was retired from the U. S. Air Force where he was crew chief mechanic, having served in Korea and Thailand during the Vietnam War. He was a member of the V.F.W. Post 9959 in Mount Olive where he was chaplain.

After military retirement, he was employed for 10 years with Georgia-Pacific at Dudley where he was assistant manager; was a part-time employee of E.J. Pope and Son, Inc. at its Handy-Mart convenient store, and had been a part-time employee with Bobby Kelly.

He was a member of Northeast Free Will Baptist Church where he had been a Sunday school teacher, a deacon and trustee, and was involved with its men's fellowship where he was past president, its Get-To-Gather Club where he was vice president, and had served as moderator for the third union meeting of the eastern conference of the Free Will Baptist Church.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Howard Lee Bennett Sr. and Lydia Mae Hackett Bennett; a sister, Cora Hitman; a brother, William Bennett; and several infant brothers and sisters.

He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Minnie Ruth King Bennett of the home; a son, Thomas Edward "Tommy" Bennett Jr. and his wife, Gina, of Mount Olive; two daughters, Sandra Ruth Roberts of Faison, along with her special friend, Wade Hanchey, Marial Sanders and her husband, Sandy, and their family of Huntington Park, Calif.; two granddaughters, Anna Bennett and Ashley Bennett of Mount Olive; two sisters, Ina Chambers of Tioga, Pa., Doris Cowen of Millerton, Pa.; five brothers, Richard Button and John Bennett, both of Caton, N.Y., Kenneth Bennett of Addison, N.Y., Elon Bennett of Elon, Pa., Bruce Bennett of Elkland, Pa.; a special nephew, Sgt. William J. "Billy Joe" Bennett and family of the U.S. Army; special nieces, Jessica Bailey and Joanie Nunn of Faison, Angie Tufillaro of Elmira, N.Y.; and several other nieces and nephews.

Flowers are welcome or memorial gifts may be made to Northeast FWB Church Building Fund, 489 Northeast Church Road, Mount Olive, N.C.